I feel like I can do so little. I
feel like a sense of moral vandalism has been perpetrated upon me. The fact is
as Flannery O'Connor said, "The truth does not change according to our
ability to stomach it." I cannot stomach it. I am sick of it.
"It" in a word is Congress. As Mark Twain said, "There is
no distinctly native American criminal class, save Congress." A
tradition without intelligence is not worth having, and that sounds like
today's U.S. senate. I feel like I've been watching a circus. Have they lost their
minds?

It
seems to me that the radical progressives of the liberal left have conspired to
keep the conscience of our country in a state of slumber. But we cannot afford
to slumber, we dare not be asleep at the switch, for a bigger
"switch" may take place and we may lose our country.

And so, I dare to offend because I
dare to be honest. George Orwell was right, "The further a society drifts
from truth the more it will hate those who speak it." The times we are
living in are fearful and fraught with hate that seems to rule the day. This
state of affairs is unthinkable, it is unconscionable, it is simply
unbelievable.

BUT..... all that I see is not all
there is to see. There are other realities at work. As Jesus reminds me; "Let
not your heart be troubled. You believe in God believe also in Me."

I do believe, Lord Jesus, but help
my unbelief. Help me to see You in all Your glory and all Your goodness
as the great God that You are. For You are the only wise God, who is from
everlasting to everlasting and has everlasting dominion forever and ever. I
kneel at your feet. Thy will be done.

Serving Him with you

Until
He comes for us,

Fred

September 7, 2018

The Last Temptation Is The Greatest
Treason:

To Do The Right Deed For The Wrong
Reason

T. S. Eliot

Now that is a brain teaser. But
think about it. Eliot is simply asking us to think about the nature of our
motivation. The nature of our actions has two components: what we do and why do
we do it. Living the Christian life involves both actions and attitudes.

If
you are like me sometimes you are not sure of your motives. My motivations are
often a mixed bag! But you can be sure that the Lord knows our motives. The
Apostle Paul realized that he was responsible to invest his life for
significance. As such, he was able to make decisions as to how and with whom to
invest his time, talent and treasure.

I think Paul lets us understand his thinking, his reasoning and his mindset for
how and why he led his life the way he did. He reminds all of us what governed
his decision making process:

"I
make it my ambition to be pleasing to Him. For we must all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the
body whether good or evil." (2
Corinthians 5:9-10)

This
is the same viewpoint that the Apostle John revealed as he warned his readers:

"And now little children
abide in Him so that when He appears we will not shrink back in shame at His
coming but have confidence." ( I
John 2:28)

Hear
the words of King David and let them settle into your soul:

Search me O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,

And lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 130:23-24

Serving Him with you

Until
He comes for us,

Fred

September 21, 2018

Sacred Causes through Earthly Powers?

It is
neither novel to articulate that we live amidst the darkening twilight of Christendom
nor new to affirm that the power to rekindle civilization lies in the true
Church of Jesus Christ However, how is this to be accomplished? Today many
Evangelicals are suggesting that the church utilize political participation and
sociological maneuvering to return our country to biblical morality. I tend to
agree with the desired ends but wonder about the associations used for the
means.

I am
in opposition to same-sex marriage, transgender identity adjustment, abortion,
and other key moral problems threatening our culture. I am appalled by the
moral decay, philosophical utilitarianism, and pragmatism that rule the
thinking of most of our political leaders, even those who name the name of
Christ as their savior.

I
desire freedom of religion for all Americans without being held hostage by any.
But it appears that we have forgotten to ask a very important question;
"What is the ultimate power and means to accomplish the ultimate
goal?" It seems to me that it is the Gospel that is the power of God that
can change lives, Romans 1:16-17. Paul did not tell the church to link up with
the Jews to participate in a geo-political maneuver to fix the social
corruption of Rome. Paul did not ask the church to participate in overthrowing
the Roman government but instead "preached Christ crucified" as the
answer to a lost and dying world; i.e. the Gospel.

Is
it true that the power for this social agenda is to come from
political-religious alignment? One wonders if sacred causes come through
worldly powers. It seems that true change will only come from the Lord Himself
through the power of the Holy Spirit in His people. The Great Commission still
stands as our marching orders from the true head of the Body, not a Western
Pope or Eastern Patriarch.

I am aware that we are to be
wise as serpents and gentle as doves. I do not see the word "compromise" as a term that is fundamentally evil
when used in the right context. I am concerned about our country and its moral
decay. It seems that modern man does not have the capacity even to measure his
descent and degradation. I feel tremendous blame is to be leveled against the
evangelical church for its arrogance and for its blatant participation in
worldly behavior as predicted by Richard Quebedeaux in his book; The Worldly
Evangelicals in the early 1970's, as well as the failure to heed the
warning issued by Richard Weaver in, Ideas Have Consequences in 1948.

If the goal is to provide
conservative, social / moral change for this country by protecting religious
rights then societal change can be accomplished in many ways. The birth and
growth of the modern political conservative party by the likes of Edmund Burke,
Friedrich Hayek, Russell Kirk, Richard Weaver, and William Buckley provided a
strong platform for religious freedom. The political arm has a place, as Mark
Hatfield and Richard Halverson demonstrated in the United States Senate. But
there is always a danger of unintended consequences. Ultimately sacred causes
cannot truly be accomplished by worldly powers.

I wish to repudiate evil and
return to the goodness that made this country great for its people, brought
glory to God, and spread the Gospel of salvation to the world. In a

day in which we see political
utilitarianism, religious pluralism, and soteriological inclusivism gaining
acceptability, we must think carefully so as not to confuse or

compromise
the glorious grace of the Gospel of God. For it is the power unto salvation.

After all, we must never forget
that the devil is an angel of light and functions

as a liar and a counterfeit. As
the Lutheran sociologist Peter Berger stated, "He who sups with the devil
must make sure to use a very long spoon."

Serving Him with you

Until
He comes for us,

Fred

September 14, 2018

Some
Things Are a Shame, but Not a Shock

The trajectory of our culture and
our country is truly a shame given its powerful Christian heritage. But it is
also not a shock. The Apostle Paul warned us that when people stop worshiping
the Creator and start worshiping the creation things will not go well. (Romans
1) He also warned that it is possible for a person and a culture to sear it
conscience and as such it can then do anything! (1 Timothy 4:2 )

I recently returned from a trip to
California, the state where I was born and raised. The natural beauty still
remains, but the culture has been corroded. It is truly a sensate society, a
culture of carnality and sensuality. The overt homosexuality and covert
attempts of transgender identity changing confirm the truth of Paul, that when
man rejects and suppresses the Truth he then worships the self. (Romans 1)

California is truly a culture of
narcissism. But let's be honest. This is the natural default of all of mankind
apart from a relationship with the Savior. Christians of any culture must
determine to do two things.

First, we must always
heed the words of Paul:

Do not be conformed to this
world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2)

John also added, Beloved, do not love the world or the things of the
world for if you love the world the love of the Father is not in you. (I
John 2:15)

Make no mistake, we are in a war. As C. S. Lewis reminds us; "Every square
inch of the universe is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan." This
means war!

Second, as believers in
Jesus we are to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). It does
not matter in which state or country you live. Our calling is to bring the
good news to a lost and dying world. For it is only Jesus who offers the
only durable and reliable message of hope - eternal life.

Let me challenge you and myself to
pray for an opportunity to share the Good News. Might I also challenge us to
look for the opportunity... and might I challenge us all to take the
opportunity when we see it.